In the operation of 90.degree. sweepout mechanisms for glassware forming machines of the IS type, the ability to position ware on a moving conveyor depends upon the smoothness with which the transfer mechanism handles the bottles and also with respect to the speed with which the mechanism can provide sliding movement to the containers without tipping the containers. When forming machines which run at speeds of up to 10-15 cycles per minute and which may make as many as three containers at a time, it can be seen that movement of all of these containers onto a single moving conveyor must be a relatively precise operation. Production of an individual section is, for example, twelve bottles per minute single cavity. To run such a machine, triple cavity would be thirty-six bottles per minute. It is common practice also at the present time to run eight sections in conjunction with a single machine conveyor. Thus, in the order of 280 or more bottles per minute will be produced, all of which will have to be moved onto the machine conveyor in a closely and carefully time relationship.
An example of the prior art is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,690 which discloses a 90.degree. sweepout mechanism for handling two containers at a time. The invention in the above-referenced patent is directed to a system for adjusting the position of the retraction of the motor driven ware-engaging finger.
An additional patent, as an example of the prior art, is U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,200 which shows a ware transfer means for an IS machine in which an automatically operable apparatus is associated with a glassware forming machine section and is driven by a drive that is common for all of the sections. Typically, a common drive shaft will extend along the length of the machine sections, with the shaft carrying a barrel cam at each section location. Rotation of an individual barrel cam operates a crank arm that is connected to a cam follower, with the crank arm being biased by a spring through an elongated chain which is in mesh with a drive sprocket. Movement of the cam follower will pull the chain and, as a result, rotate the sprocket. The sprocket in turn will be connected through a drive system to a horizontally positioned motor for oscillating the motor about the axis of the sprocket. The motor controls the movement of ware-engaging means to an extended position to thereby engage ware on the dead plate and then move the ware from the dead plate to a conveyor. The function of this drive mechanism disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,200 patent is similar to the function of the mechanism which is set forth in the present case.